FashionSustain Thinkathon SS18

48 hours, 6 teams, 3 challenges, 1 mission

As part of the Messe Frankfurt FashionSustain conference during Berlin Fashion Week SS18, the Sourcebook co-organised Thinkathon took place for the second time. The collaborative ideas workshop is inspired by the computer programming hackathon and sees multidisciplinary teams of international experts work together over 48 hours to find innovative solutions to issues within the fashion and textile industries. The sustainability-based challenges are set by companies and organisations from the industry and this season we were honoured to have Hugo Boss, KPMG x Microsoft Hololens and Techtextil & Texprocess on board as the Challenge Hosts.

Two teams of five to six were assigned to each of the three challenges, with the expert participants ranging from designers and entrepreneurs, to sustainability researchers and strategists. Two experienced design thinking coaches assisted the teams in the development of their ideas, helping them through the various stages of defining the problem, researching, forming ideas, prototyping and testing to find user-centric solutions. Results are then presented to the Challenge Hosts – who now hold the exclusive rights to turn the concepts into reality – and a short video presentation of the workshop was shown as part of the FashionSustain conference on the Kraftwerk mainstage, which can be viewed below;

The three challenges and respective result summaries are as follows:

Techtextil & Texprocess

How can all parties along the textile value chain be empowered by embracing the industry's move towards sustainability, recyclability and/or circularity?

Connecting Techtextil and Texprocess exhibitors with leading companies in sustainability. This is done through a variety of platforms such as satellite events during trade fairs, ongoing support/mentorship programmes and mediated speed dating.

KPMG x Microsoft Hololens

How can mixed reality be used to make the fashion industry more sustainable?

TEAM YELLOW: Interactive Retail

A collective of regional brands/designers can utilise mixed reality to improve the sustainability of their business models and the visibility of their products by receiving feedback from potential customers who experience their designs remotely through the Hololens.

TEAM GREEN: Mixed Reality Prototyping

Using mixed reality to make production more transparent, efficient and visual: the Microsoft Hololens can add value at the prototyping stage for a production company and its business partners as they work together towards a more sustainable approach.

Hugo Boss

Design for Tomorrow: What could a market-leading circular service model for a premium fashion brand look like?

TEAM BLUE: Customer Experience Upgrade

Transforming the Hugo Boss customer experience into a bold sustainable and circular world with new features such as a C2C reselling platform, and a combined online and offline concept store.

TEAM PURPLE: Circular Wardrobe App

An app that keeps the customer aware of their wardrobe – its recycle potential, financial worth and environmental impact. With the support of an eco-friendly logistic chain as well as social events and interactions, customers participate in the circular economy in a fun and easy way.

Congratulations to everyone involved and a very big thank you to all our Challenge Hosts and Messe Frankfurt!

Look out for our next Thinkathon at FashionSustain AW19 – make sure to sign up to Sourcebook (register above) or subscribe to our newsletter (fill out form below) to be the first to know about the next call for participants.

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